Yieldable support for a submarine periscope



July 27, 1965 W. WERNER YIELDABLE SUPPORT FOR A SUBMARINE PERISCOPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 31, 1962 L INVENTOR:

July'27, 1965 w. WERNER YIELDABLE SUPPORT FOR A SUBMARINE PERISCOPE Filed Aug. 31, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2

INVENTOR. Qk'dZq/Q United States Patent 4 Claims. for. 88-69) The invention relates to improvements in a for submarine vessels.

It is an object of the invention to provide a periscope for submarine vessels which is not influenced by exterior forces which may effect a deformation of the body or hull periscope of the vessel. Under exterior forces which are understood such forces are apt to compress the hull of the vessel transversely to its length or cause the hull to be bent in lengthwise or transverse direction. Such forces may cause such a deformation or flexing movements of the hull of the vessel that the same are transferred to the conventional periscope and cause an injury to the same which may render the periscope inaccurate or even useless.

.The periscope of the present invention comprises an extensible or axially movable periscope tube which also is rotatably adjustable about its own axis, and a rotatable tubular housing which surrounds the lower portion of the periscope tube. The optical elements of the periscope are distributed and arranged in such a manner in these two tubular parts of the periscope that the light rays between these parts remain parallel so that the image appearing in the ocular of the periscope is not influenced by the extent the extensible periscope tuberhas been axially moved outwardly.

It is another object of the invention to give the tubular parts of the periscope an increased flexibility with respect to one another which is made possible by supporting the lower end of the outer tubular housing by means ofa ball thrust bearing on the bottom wall of the hull of the vessel, while the upper portion of the tubular housing is supported by means of a ring having a curved outer surface in a hollow cylindrical bearing arranged in the deck wall of the hull of the vessel. The extensible pericsope tube is supported with its lower end by means of a novel type of a universal joint in the interior of the tubular housing. This arrangement has the result that both tubular parts of the periscope can perform independent swivel movements when the hull of the vessel on account of exterior forces is longitudinally compressed or bent or even is transversely deformed whereby, however, the viewing performed with the periscope is not disturbed.

With these and other objects in view the invention will now be described in detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of example one embodiment of the new periscope construction.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a partial vertical sectional view of the submarine vessel taken along the longitudinal axis and at the position where the periscope is mounted,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged portion of the sectional view of FIG. 1 and illustrates a portion of the tubular housing where the latter surrounds the lower end of the extensible periscope tube, and

FIG. 3 is a horizontally cross-sectional view along the lines IIIIII of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIG. 1, the bottom wall 1 of the submarine vessel has attached thereto a base plate 2 with upwardly inclined flanges 2a for holding adjusting screws 3 and 4. The latter engages with their downwardly directed ends the edges of a bearing plate 5 resting upon the top face of the base plate 2. Upon adjusting of the screws 3 and 4 the bearing plate 5 may be adjusted in horizontal direction relatively to the base plate 2. The center of the bearing plate 5 is provided with an undercut recess having inserted therein a suitable shaped bearing block 6 provided in its top with a spherical socket. A spherical bearing portion 8 attached to the lowerhorizontal face of an upright casing 7a is supported in this spherical socket of the bearing block 6.

The upright casing 7a is attached to the lower end of a tubular housing 7 the upper end of which extends upwardly beyond the upper end of the casing 70. The up right casing 7a with the tubular housing 7 attached there to is rotatable about a vertical axis which passes through the spherical bearing 6, 8 and is coincident with the axis of the housing 7. The upper end of the tubular housing 7 is surrounded by a ring 9 having a curved outer surface which engages with the inner wall of a hollow cylindrical bearing 10 mounted in the deck portion 11 of the submarine vessel. It will be noted that there is provided a slight clearance between the outer wall of the tubular housing 7 and the inner wall of the hollow cylindrical bearing 10.

' The deck portion 11 and a superstructure 15 are provided with axially spaced seal producing guide members 12 and 13, respectively, for the upper portion of the axially movable telescope tube 14 which projects downwardly into the tubular housing 7 and is supported in the latter in a novel manner to be described presently.

In FIG. 1 the extensible and rotatably adjustable telescope tube 14 is shown in a partially extended position. The lower end of the telescope tube 14 carries a ringshaped disk 16 which is movable relatively to the tubular housing 7 in two directions which are at right angles to one another and at right angles to the axis of the housing 7.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, it will be noted that the telescope tube 14 is movably coupled to the tubular housing 7. The lower end of the axially movable telescope tube 14 is provided with two diametrically opposed horizontal lugs 17. Each lug 17 has thereon an upwardly extending pin-like projection 18 and 19, respectively. The previously mentioned ring-shaped disk 16 rests loosely upon these lugs 17 and has two radially extending elongated slots 20 and 21, respectively, for the reception of the pin-like projections 18 and 19, respectively. At right angles to the diameter which passes through these elongated slots 20 and 21 the disk 16 is provided on its circumference with two diametrically opposed elongated slots 22 and 23 into which guide rails 24 and 25 enter with clearance. The guide rails 24 and 25 are attached to the inner wall of the tubular housing 7 and extend parallel to the axis of the same. The diameter of the disk 16 is less than the inner diameter of the tubular housing 7. In view of this mounting of the disk 16 the lower portion of the axially movable periscope tube 14 may perform transverse movements not only in the direction of the double arrows 28 shown in FIG. 3 or in the direction of the longer arrow 29, but also in other transverse directions which are components of the two mentioned main directions. The guide rails 24 and 25 are also used for rotatably adjusting the periscope tube 14 when the tubular housing 7 is rotatably adjusted.

The optical elements and the arrangement of the same do not form a part of the present invention, but as indicated they are arranged in such a manner that there will always be a parallel light path between the optical elements which permit a viewing of the image in the ocular. The image is not influenced by the extension of the peri- 3 scope tube or any relative movement of the tubular parts 7 and 14 which may be caused by exterior forces.

What I claim is:

1. A periscope for submarine vessels comprising an axially movable and rotatable periscope tube and a rotatable mounted tubular housing which receives and supports the lower portion of said periscope tube, a casing aflixed to the lower portion of said tubular housing, a bearing plate on the bottom wall of the hull of the submarine vessel, a bearing block in the center of said hearing plate having a spherical socket, a spherical bearing portion afiixed to the lower horizontal face of said casing for being received in said socket, a ring having a curved outer surface attached to the upper end of said tubular housing, a hollow cylindrical bearing member attached to a portion of said vessel and engaging with its inner cylindrical surface the curved outer suface of said ring, and means forming an axially movable universal joint connecting the lower end of said periscope tube with said tubular housing, said spherical bearing portion and socket being aligned with the axis of said rotatably mounted housing to rotatably support said housing.

2. A periscope for submarine vessels comprising an axially movable and rotatable periscope tube and a rotatable mounted tubular housing which receives and supports the lower portion of said periscope tube, a ball bearing supporting the lower end of said tubular housing on the bottom wall of the hull of the submarine vessel, a ring having a curved outer surface attached to the upper end of said tubular housing, a hollow cylindrical bearing member attached to a portion of said vessel and engaging with its inner cylindrical surface the curved outer surface of said ring, and means forming an axially movable universal joint connecting the lower end of said periscope tube with said tubular housing, said universal joint including a circular plate having a diameter which is less than the inner diameter of said tubular housing, means for mounting said circular plate to extend transversely of the axis of said periscope tube for permitting said plate to move in one direction transversely to the axis of said periscope tube, and means on said tubular housing for slidably. supporting said circular plate for movement lengthwise in said housing.

3. A periscope for submarine vessels comprising an axially movable and rotatable periscope tube and a rotatable mounted tubular housing which receives and supports the lower portion of said periscope tube, a ball hearing supporting the lower end of said tubular housing on the bottom wall of the hull of the submarine vessel, a ring having a curved outer surface attached to the upper end of said tubular housing, a hollow cylindrical bearing member attached to a portion of said vessel and engaging with its inner cylindrical surface the curved outer surface of said ring, and means forming an axially movable universal joint connecting the lower end of said periscope tube with said tubular housing, said universal joint including a circular plate having a diameter which is less than the inner diameter of said tubular housing, means for mounting said circular plate on said periscope tube for permitting said plate to move in one direction transversely to the axis of said periscope tube, and means on said tubular housing for slidably supporting said circular plate for movement lengthwise in said housing, and along a direction at right angles to the direction said circular plate is movable transversely to the axis of said periscope tube.

4. A periscope for submarine vessels comprising an axially movable and rotatable periscope tube and a rotatable mounted tubular housing which receives and supports the lower portion of said periscope tube, a ball bearing supporting the lower end of said tubular housing on the bottom wall of the hull of the submarine vessel, a ring having a curved outer surface attached to the upper end of said tubular housing, a hollow cylindrical bearing member attached to a portion of said vessel and engaging with its inner cylindrical surface the curved outer surface of said ring, and means forming an axially movable universal joint connecting the lower end of said periscope tube with said tubular housing, said universal joint including a circular plate having a diameter which is less than the inner diameter of said tubular housing, said circular plate being provided with two pairs of elongated slots arranged at right angles to one another, a pair of diametrically opposed lugs on said periscope tube provided each with a projection extending through one pair of said slots which latter are arranged in diametrical alinement so that saidcircular plate rests on said lugs and is movable in the longitudinal directions of said elongated slots, and a pair of diametrically opposed guide rails on the inner wall of said tubular housing and extending lengthwise of the same and into said other pair of elongated slots in said circular plate.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,624,733 4/27 Humbrecht ss 72 JEWELL H. PEDERSEN, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PERISCOPE FOR SUBMARINE VESSELS COMPRISING AN AXIALLY MOVABLE AND ROTATABLE PERISCOPE TUBE AND A ROTATABLE MOUNTED TUBULAR HOUSING WHICH RECEIVES, AND SUPPORTS THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PERISCOPE TUBE, A CASING AFFIXED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID PERISCOPE TUBE, A CASING BEARING PLATE ON THE BOTTOM WALL OF THE HULL OF THE SUBMARINE VESSEL, A BEARING BLOCK IN THE CENTER OF SAID BEARING PLATE HAVING A SPHERICAL SOCKET, A SPHERICAL BEARING PORTION AFFIXED TO THE LOWER HORIZONTAL FACE OF SAID CASING FOR BEING RECEIVED IN SAID SOCKET, A RING HAVING A CURVED OUTER SURFACE ATTACHED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID TUBULAR HOUSING, A HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL BEARING MEMBER ATTACHED TO A PORTION OF SAID VESSEL AND ENGAGING WITH ITS INNER CYLINDRICAL SURFACE THE CURVED OUTER SURFACE OF SAID RING, AND MEANS FORMING AN AXIALLY MOVABLE UNIVERSAL JOINT CONNECTING THE LOWER END OF SAID PERISCOPE TUBE WITH SAID TUBULAR HOUSING, SAID SPHERICAL BEARING PORTION AND SOCKET BEING ALIGNED WITH THE AXIS OF SAID ROTATABLY MOUNTED HOUSING TO ROTATABLY SUPPORT SAID HOUSING. 